Starship is Go...

louis · 2019-04-05 13:28:06

Mic of Orion suggests there has been v significant progress at Boca Chica...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JE_XqIMaXzs

louis · 2019-04-16 18:14:54

Some great speculation from Mic of Orion. He's had a good track record. Here he gives his outline of likely pattern of test flights of the Star Hopper and the prototype Startship/Super Heavy. As they say in the world of cinema: "Coming soon".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlkNm3P8bWc

louis · 2019-04-17 18:25:56

Nice video giving the viewer a good understanding of the size of Space X's rockets.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlo3rBFDLug

Void · 2019-04-17 19:25:29

That is a helpful video Louis.
Here is a recent article, which explains finances for SpaceX, and Starlink and Starship.
https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-new-fu … -starlink/

They can start putting Starlink up with Falcon 9's, but Starship is supposed to be at least 10 times less costly to launch product to orbit. Pretty clever if they pull it off. Starship will have business duties as soon as they can validate it to the point that they don't expect to blow up payloads such as Starlink.

I am tempted to suppose that the first Starship(s) will be for such cargo. May even be able to lift a few up during test runs, before using the complete stack of Superheavy/Starship.

But of course I am not in their head. We will find out what they really do, when they do whatever it is.

Something wonderful to watch though.

Done

Last edited by Void (2019-04-17 19:29:52)

louis · 2019-04-18 06:45:16

Equally helpful.

I'm just surprised we haven't yet heard a peep about commercial sponsorship, TV rights and so on. There are billions of dollars available for that - it's not new money, it's just companies moving around their advertising, marketing and broadcasting budgets.

Void wrote:

That is a helpful video Louis.
Here is a recent article, which explains finances for SpaceX, and Starlink and Starship.
https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-new-fu … -starlink/
They can start putting Starlink up with Falcon 9's, but Starship is supposed to be at least 10 times less costly to launch product to orbit. Pretty clever if they pull it off. Starship will have business duties as soon as they can validate it to the point that they don't expect to blow up payloads such as Starlink.
I am tempted to suppose that the first Starship(s) will be for such cargo. May even be able to lift a few up during test runs, before using the complete stack of Superheavy/Starship.
But of course I am not in their head. We will find out what they really do, when they do whatever it is.
Something wonderful to watch though.
Done

Last edited by louis (2019-04-18 06:48:52)

louis · 2019-05-01 14:37:56

New video from Cloudlicker:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gw31yMT2JiY

Looks like an untethered test of the Starhopper is upcoming. Raptor engines have been tested for over 40 secs now.

louis · 2019-05-04 14:47:27

Lovely atmospheric drone video of Space X's Boca Chica site from last month:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HVx5YC41KM

louis · 2019-05-05 15:47:53

A detailed update from Engineering Today:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPrwy1gV4IA

louis · 2019-05-10 18:26:36

Interesting video showing latest on Star Hopper construction...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdDm5tGqUqo

When the guy on the hydraulic platform is next to it, you really get a sense of the scale - I'm guessing it is full scale in terms of diameter...

Void · 2019-05-14 19:03:26

I thought you might like this Louis: 4:55 PM - 14 May 2019
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1128448802942177280
However the messages now will become outdated in a bit.

Also building starship in Florida.

Done.

Last edited by Void (2019-05-14 19:05:03)

SpaceNut · 2019-05-14 21:08:29

Better than a twitter post as here is the SpaceX is building another Starship in Florida; The competition is on.

He said the plan is to find out which location is the most effective even if the answer "might be both.

He needs multiple launches for refueling if its going any where from LEO....

SpaceNut · 2019-05-17 15:50:07

insight images released to the public

insights raw image page

elderflower wrote:

I note the indent in the surface made by InSight's foot pad.
How much bigger will be the dent beneath the foot of a fuelled up BFR? Spacex must come up with a solution to this issue.

Just what GW had said might happen with the huge BFR....say nothing about when you are loading it back up with fuel.....

SpaceNut · 2019-05-17 19:44:24

kbd512 wrote:

SpaceNut,
If a rather light lander like InSight makes that much of an impression in the surface, then Starship will require serious rough field landing capability or it will tip over when the ground shifts as it lands. I think explosively driven anchors will be required to assure that the vehicle is secure when it touches down. Anchors would also provide a more secure launch when the vehicle departs. Some minor hardware replacement will be required, but that's still infinitely preferable to tipping over in loose regolith.

This shows exactly what GW has been running calculations on....

louis · 2019-05-19 06:04:27

New Cloudhopper video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IydYEBrk0E

Raptor engine development is proceeding at a swift pace. Latest Raptor engines ready for delivery to site for attachment to Starhopper. Flight (presumably a proper hop flight) could be as early as 28 May.

louis · 2019-05-19 06:06:58

NASA has specified low gradient rock platforms as landing areas for human passenger craft to Mars - it appears there are several candidates in the equatorial regions. So I wouldn't read to much into this landing.

SpaceNut wrote:

insight images released to the public
insights raw image page
https://mars.nasa.gov/system/resources/ … aw-web.gif
elderflower wrote:
I note the indent in the surface made by InSight's foot pad.
How much bigger will be the dent beneath the foot of a fuelled up BFR? Spacex must come up with a solution to this issue.
Just what GW had said might happen with the huge BFR....say nothing about when you are loading it back up with fuel.....

SpaceNut · 2019-05-19 07:17:47

Even if the area that we land in is flat what we do not know is the levels of dust, sand or soft regolith levels as to if they are the same consistent depth over the area to which the craft is to se down on. Insights probe stopping tells me that we are not garenteed that we will not set down on on leg whch is on a bolder and the others are not.

Void · 2019-05-19 07:18:52

Something that got my attention is the might be going to do single stage to orbit operations with the Starship alone.

I have seen Elon Mention that possibility in the past, but he downplayed it's value, as it can't deliver much cargo as SSTO.
However, although there is nothing to support them having an interest in SSTO other than to test the craft out, I believe that they will have a Skylab type capability to wetlab a stripped down Starship(s), into LEO. The major flaw of putting a wetlab Starship into LEO, is I am betting they will want to recover things like engines and avionics. (That is a scheme that Vulcan will pioneer).

So, no heat shield on such a version of starship, no hydraulic actuating fins. So, some cost savings that way, and weight savings. No need to use the Super Heavy. Cost savings that way, and also reduction of risk.

In Elon in the past has mentioned things like "Moonbase Alpha", and that we should have space stations. These versions starship could be like modules to build such things. And then also a stripped down version could actually do a deep space robotic mission to outer planets for instance. I would think that with LEO propellant top off, such a device could bring a huge amount of instrumentation along, on a robotic probe mission to other planets.

So, then the game would be repurposing, and in some cases probes that are not re-used, but are in use for the life of the probe.

I would think that if Kilopower shows, up you could send out a massive probe with kilopower, and get a whole lot of science more than we get now.

Done

Last edited by Void (2019-05-19 07:30:13)

louis · 2019-05-19 07:59:46

You say that SpaceNut but NASA does have the means to measure depth of sand and so on. In any case, a rock platform is a rock platform so by definition it doesn't have large accumulations of dust or soft regolith. Under the Space X mission architecture you will first land cargo craft, so you will know the lie of the land before you land humans.

SpaceNut wrote:

Even if the area that we land in is flat what we do not know is the levels of dust, sand or soft regolith levels as to if they are the same consistent depth over the area to which the craft is to se down on. Insights probe stopping tells me that we are not garenteed that we will not set down on on leg whch is on a bolder and the others are not.

SpaceNut · 2019-05-19 17:34:46

Go look again at the many images in The real mars
topic as the drifting sand and boulders tell another story as to landing....

SpaceNut · 2019-05-19 17:36:40

ssto was the dream of the venture star which Nasa still did not get fully developed...at the time composite tanks cracking was a major issue...

louis · 2019-05-19 17:58:31

NASA can identify objects down to 6 cms! They could map every single raised stone in a proposed landing area!! A rock platform is a rock platform by definition ie it is a rock platform WITHOUT accumulations of sand or soft regolith!!! I am struggling to see what you don't understand about this...Rock platforms may be rare but they do exist on Mars.

SpaceNut wrote:

Go look again at the many images in The real mars
topic as the drifting sand and boulders tell another story as to landing....

kbd512 · 2019-05-20 20:12:51

I think the SpaceX Starship design is more than good enough to get the job done and all I'm interested in doing at this point is getting the job done. NASA and their favored contractors had their chance, but Congress and those favored contractors squandered it. Now it's time to let the private sector succeed where government has failed. Perfection is not required, but excellence is, and SpaceX routinely demonstrates excellence in all that they do. On that note, Blue Origin is another up-and-coming company that has lots to contribute to this endeavor.

In fact, I think the first Starship that lands on Mars should be named "Endeavor", for that is what this truly is- the greatest endeavor humanity has ever undertaken. The first commercial Starship with paying colonists would rightly be named "Enterprise".

Void · 2019-05-24 20:30:04

This information suggests that the engine progress is better than expected.
Some hint that there could be 6 engines instead of 7.

https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-speeds … velopment/
Quote:

SpaceX’s space-optimized Starship engine could be ready sooner than later

Done

Last edited by Void (2019-05-24 20:42:42)

SpaceNut · 2019-05-24 21:16:15

Nice find on engine optimizing as that will mean more thrust for mass units of engine which means more lift capability but also mean less fuel used to move the original mass. Since this is for both stages one gets more left over fuel for mission beyond leo or simply less reloading needs to be done for what will go onward to moon or mars once refueled. This drives down costs for a BFR mission as the refuler rocket tankers are maximized in fuel for the mission oportunity in less tankers will be needed.

louis · 2019-05-25 15:44:14

Good video from Everyday Astronaut on recent rocket developments. Raptor looking good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbH1ZDImaI8

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